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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Sami Quadri

Jamal Edwards: Tearful Loose Women stars consoled Brenda at her house after her son’s death

Heartbroken Brenda Edwards was surrounded by her Loose Women co-stars after her son Jamal died over the weekend.

Music entrepreneur and founder of SBTV Jamal Edwards , 31, died after he was struck by a “sudden illness” on Sunday morning.

Ms Edwards was consoled by her fellow Loose Women panelists following the tragic death of her son.

During Monday’s show, the Loose Women stars paid tribute to the music entrepreneur and they revealed how they were supporting their co-star.

TV host Charlene White told viewers: “As you know, it’s been a bit of a difficult day for us here at Loose Women after the heartbreaking news that Brenda’s son Jamal passed away yesterday.

“On today’s show, we’ll be paying tribute to the powerhouse that is Jamal Edwards.”

The panellists of Loose Women have paid tribute to SBTV founder Jamal Edwards and his mother, fellow panellist Brenda, following his sudden death aged 31 (Lauren Hurley/PA) (PA Archive)

Ms White fought back tears when she spoke on camera.

She said: “Last night, both Judi [Love] and I were with Brenda and she told us she wants today’s show to celebrate her son’s achievements, but she also wants us to make her smile and to chuckle, so we’ll be aiming to do that today as well."

She was joined by Judi Love, Linda Robson, Carol McGiffin and Frankie Bridge on Loose Women.

The Loose Women host said the news had left the TV crew devastated and they wanted to make their colleague “proud”.

"I think people see us on Loose Women and all of the rest of it and we get on on stage, but it’s so much bigger than that," an emotional Ms Love said.

She added: "The friendships that we build outside and the support that we give each other in different areas of our lives. This is an area that I don’t want to be in, I don’t want to have to do this. But we have to and it’s heartbreaking and all we can do is try our best to support Brenda and honour her amazing son in such a difficult time.

"We just wanted to be with her yesterday..."

Loose Women stars have paid tribute to Jamal Edwards following his death over the weekend (ITV/Loose Women)

Ms White revealed she went to Ms Edwards’ house for emotional support as soon as she heard the news.

She continued: "Yes, we both popped over to my house and drove over - we had to go and see her because what do you do with somebody when you lose your child when you don’t know what the right thing to do is?

“So we just wanted to be physically with her and Tanisha and to give them all the hugs and love that we could possibly, possibly give them. Not that it’s going to help them but we needed to know that they are loved."

Ms Edwards released a statement on Monday saying she was “completely devastated” by her son’s death.

She said: "It is with the deepest heartache that I confirm that my beautiful son Jamal Edwards passed away yesterday morning after a sudden illness. Myself, his sister Tanish and the rest of his family and friends are completely devastated. He was the centre of our world.

"As we come to terms with his passing, we ask for privacy to grieve this unimaginable loss. I would like to thank everyone for their messages of love and support.

"Jamal was an inspiration to myself and so many. Our love for him lives on, his legacy lives on. Long live Jamal Edwards MBE, MBA, PHD."

Monday’s episode of Loose Women ended with a touching clip of the grieving mother singing Whitney Houston’s Greatest Love Of All in tribute to her son.

Jamal Edwards was a teenager when he launched the youth broadcasting and production film channel SBTV.

He would upload clips he had recorded of his friends rapping on the estate where he lived in Acton, west London.

By 2014 he had amassed an estimated fortune of around £8 million and many stars had featured on the channel including Jessie J, Emeli Sande and Sheeran.

He was also an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, a charity headed by the Prince of Wales. In 2014 he was awarded an MBE for his services to music.

A tweet from the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall’s Clarence House Twitter account said: “Thinking of the family of Jamal Edwards today.

“His work in music but also as an ambassador for a new generation, including his work for The Prince’s Trust, were an inspiration to so many.”

Former prime minister David Cameron, now chairman of the National Citizen Service’s Board of Patrons, tweeted: “My thoughts & prayers are with the family of Jamal Edwards MBE.

“He was a great friend to @NCS & a valued Patron, supporting & inspiring young people to be the best they could be, leading from the front & showing what’s possible with hard work & determination. Such a sad loss.”

Sir Richard Branson, who penned the foreword for Edwards’ 2013 book, Self Belief: The Vision, added: “So sad to hear about the passing of Jamal Edwards MBE.

“What a loss of a truly extraordinary young man who made a huge difference to so many people’s lives.”

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